Dabengwa regrets collapse of coalition talks

ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa has said he regrets the failure by opposition to form a grand coalition to block what he fears will herald political militarisation should the ruling Zanu PF win the July 30 elections.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

Dabengwa told party supporters in Bulawayo at the weekend that a Zanu PF victory under military leadership will have dire consequences for the country. He said that would be a “classic fusion of army and political party hegemony” that a grand coalition was supposed curtail “before it becomes more established”.

“There is not enough urgency among the opposition parties to focus on the trend of militarisation of Zanu PF and what their win would mean in terms of top military commanders being turned into political leaders and blurring the divide between a professional army and partisan politicians,” Dabengwa said.

Zanu PF has a number of retired army personnel contesting in the upcoming harmonised elections. The ruling party’s political commissar Engelbert Rugeje is a retired Lieutenant-General, while Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo (Rtd Major-General), Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri (Rtd Air Force Commander) and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga (former Army Commander) also assumed political office following former President Robert Mugabe’s forced departure last November.

Dabengwa bemoaned the fragmentation of opposition parties saying only a grand coalition would have enhanced its collective capacity to block militarisation of the State.

“In spite of this new reality, the opposition has been reluctant to make the necessary sacrifice and adjustment to ambitions of individual party leaders or clusters of leaders. We clearly needed a grand opposition alliance, but this has eluded us, right up to a few weeks ago when I tried to be an honest broker with external facilitation by non-politicians,” he added.

The former Home Affairs minister urged vigilance in the opposition during the whole electoral process to prevent vote fraud.

“We must, therefore, be on the lookout for manipulation of the system at various stages and phases of the elections. Vigilance must be a watchword when voting and counting take place,” he said.

Contacted for comment, Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial information secretary Christopher Sibanda said Dabengwa should also quit politics if he took offense in former liberation war colleagues joining the political fray.

“At one time, Dabengwa hinted at quitting politics but is finding it hard because it is in his blood. His fears of political militarisation are unfounded as he was also in the trenches with comrades who have now joined him in politics,” Sibanda said.

“The only difference is that he did not remain in the army after the liberation war but joined politics immediately after. There is no crime in other comrades involving themselves in politics like him. It is also odd that he is choosing to demonise revolutionaries.”

Dabengwa pulled out of the presidential race at the last minute to support MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa.

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10 Comments

Dumi as a former military supremo during the war of liberation you know more of the goings on in zanu but the only blunder you did was pulling out of the race and putting your weight behind Nelson instead of the tried and tested warhorse ED reconsider and shift your allegiance

Tried tested and failed leadership can only fool folks who can’t think for themselves. those who outsource the thinking process.
My disappointment with leaders like Dabengwa is that he’s pointing fingers at everyone else in the opposition fold without accepting personal culpability. Too many want to lead but very few amongst them actually have listening and project delivery skills.
For example, the “Bob must go” cry started way back around 1985. This message only arrived in some people’s ears last year…after having been offloaded.

You are right cde Davbengwa but even if the opposition is split i dont ED will win against CCC.NO one who really cares for his future and that of his children will vote for a crocodile.No form of vote buying will make the electorate vote for Ed because his name is severely tainted by his past deeds .all past attrocities committed by Zanu Pf are attributed to him from Gukukurahwindi to murambatsvina and all political violence abductions and deaths that happened in the past.he planned his coup long back even before the so called Tsholotsho decalaration.he is the one who sabotaged Mugabe destroying the economy so that ppl suffer and rebel against him but because he is a master of diguise old Bob cldnt see it until it was too late.Clever Jonathan moyo saw it but it was too late by then Ed had gotten hold of all the levers of power.there is nothing good to remember about this man.

Ed is a master of diguise.he tells the world that he is fighting corruption but ppl know that he looted chiadzwa diamonds together with mujuru and his friends in the army.he is also in the UN report for looting diamonds in the DRC.he is also fingered in gold looting and externalisation.We all remember the well publicised story of Mark Matthew Burden, the gold miner who was caught at the SA border attempting to cross with more than 20kg of gold and was freed after reported links to ED.ED also sponsors makorokozas who are scattered all over the country and these korokozas are responsible for a spate of crimes such as burgleries,murders and armed robberries.some of them esp in the midlands are well known to be connected to Ed so they are never arrested.
ED is probably the richest man in Zimbabwe thrugh corrupt activities,and in 2008 one SA analyst once wrote that ED was so rich that he could raise an army and sponsor a civil war and win against the govt of Zim.we now realise his analysis was correct after all after what happened in Nov.
The Zim electorate also remember Ed for being A violent cruel man despite his claims of being reformed.the story of Godfrey Majonga who was thrown from a three storey building is still fresh in ppl‘s memories.In 2002 former kwekwe MP blessing chebundo survived death by a whisker after Ed tried to burn him with petrol for standing against him in parliamentary elections.so these are just some of the well remembered incidents but the list is endless.So despite the fragmanted opposition Ed has has a task as difficult as walking on top of water to try and convince the electorate to vote for him because of his bad reputation

My friend why cant you also look at history going back liberation strggle era. all what happened is not good at all but who did it? anga ari president because you cant question maonero emukuru wako unodzingwa, but fortunatly takazomubisa mava kufamba vana chamisa. vana cain nkala wezanu pf akaurawa nani? You wanted to kill an old kind old lady truddie stevenson, komai kupe. right now a lot of people are dying in hospitals becoz of delapidated aparators coz of sanctions. chebundo ndimimakada kupisa .

Exactly it is becz of lack of composure and timing dts y Dumiso and others who dared to question a seatiing Pres are goin straight to oblivion, E.D is getting alot of sympathy votes bcz he stood d taste of time, Dumi u act lyk jonso somtyms, nw if E.D wins we will nt hrre of u again

Exactly it is becz of lack of composure and timing dts y Dumiso and others who dared to question a seatiing Pres are goin straight to oblivion, E.D is getting alot of sympathy votes bcz he stood d taste of time, Dumi u act lyk jonso somtyms, nw if E.D wins we will nt hrre of u again

It is disgusting when Zimbabweans turn to insults instead of debating issues. Let’s keep debate clean of insults Sagitarr.
As for Cde Dumiso who was called Black Russia he is ex military yet blames other former soldiers. Even in the MDC Giles their Chief Whip is an ex Zim soldier. All people who become Presidents in the USA are better respected when they have a military background. This election is about principles and values and not about emotions. If a soldier delivers what we want so be it; after all they freed us from uncle Bob. Give us reasons why we should vote u Cde Dabengwa rather than reasons why we shouldnt vote ED. Looks like everyone is scared of ED. Go ahead and make your coalitions but if they dont present better reasons why we should vote them it doesn’t help them. If u add ten zeros the answer remains zero.